The next morning, early dawn.
Looking at the clear sky outside the window, Minato—who hadn't slept all night—opened the window and gazed toward the Hokage Rock, his emotions subtly complex.
He had once stood before his own statue carved into the Hokage Rock, fulfilling his duty, protecting the village and his family in the name of the Hokage.
That desire remained unchanged, perhaps even stronger than before.
Minato's dream was still to become Hokage—and this time, he would leave no regrets.
"Haaah!"
The morning air was refreshingly cool. Minato took a few deep breaths involuntarily. He hadn't slept, yet he felt no fatigue whatsoever.
The Nine-Tails' chakra had gradually changed his body, giving him boundless vitality.
Because of the unique nature of his chakra, Minato could naturally maintain a subtle sensing ability without even trying, and especially in the morning, he could more clearly feel the beauty of life itself.
...
He continued with his basic training. After recovering his memories, Minato judged from past experience that such practice suited him best at this moment.
Then, as usual, he headed to the Ninja Academy, where Mikoto had already been waiting for him in the classroom.
They had always gotten along well during their school days, and Mikoto would later become an outstanding kunoichi [female ninja], respected and admired by many in the village.
Yet eventually, at only eighteen years old, she married Fugaku Uchiha—the heir to the head of the Uchiha clan—and bore children.
Their child's name seemed to be Itachi Uchiha, a boy of exceptional talent.
After Minato succeeded as the Fourth Hokage, his relationship with Fugaku—who later became the head of the Uchiha clan—had been fairly good.
Had it not been for that incident, perhaps Itachi might also have become one of his students.
Minato wanted to build a connection through Itachi to improve communication with the Uchiha clan. Since he had trained under Jiraiya—a student of the First Hokage—relations between his lineage and the Uchiha faction had always been somewhat strained.
If Itachi became his student, perhaps through him the relationship could improve.
Moreover, maybe Mikoto's newborn younger son could become close friends with his own son, Naruto.
His name...was it Sasuke Uchiha?
Thinking about it, Minato couldn't help but give Mikoto a slightly strange look.
"Ever since yesterday, why have you been acting so unusually?"
Mikoto frowned lightly. Last night, Minato had collapsed in a deep alleyway and mumbled something hastily before leaving.
And this morning, there seemed to be something strange in his eyes again.
"Heh, nothing really," Minato chuckled lightly before saying, "Thank you, by the way…for last night."
When he woke up yesterday evening, it was already late. Mikoto and Moto Kouda had come looking for him.
Without them, it might've taken him longer to wake up from that deep spiritual realm.
"Actually…what exactly happened to you yesterday?"
Mikoto had never seen Minato skip class before, and now he'd even collapsed unconscious in an alley.
"Ahh? I slipped and fell. Haha."
Minato gave an embarrassed chuckle. He couldn't exactly tell Mikoto that he had fainted due to awakening memories.
As for his reincarnation, he had no intention of telling anyone about it just yet.
Mikoto naturally wasn't buying such an absurd excuse, but since Minato didn't want to talk about it, she decided not to press further.
Though he had managed to pacify Mikoto, Minato still felt somewhat troubled. Last night, Sensei Moto Kouda had also been there.
What excuse could he come up with for skipping class and fainting?
Kushina still hadn't shown up. Mikoto, who usually sat beside her, frowned slightly before turning her gaze toward Minato.
At this moment, Minato was thinking about something else entirely.
Sensei Moto Kouda entered the classroom, glanced at Kushina's seat, and said, "Kushina-san has taken a month's leave from school due to health reasons..."
After saying that, he cast a brief glance toward Minato, though he did not directly question him about skipping class.
His expression then turned somewhat solemn as he announced, "Before class begins, I have something important to announce to all of you."
"First Hokage's wife, Lady Mito Uzumaki, has departed this world yesterday morning."
Most students in the classroom had never heard of Mito Uzumaki, but everyone knew who the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was.
As the First Hokage's wife, she was undoubtedly an extremely significant figure in Konoha today.
Even the Third Hokage must have treated her with utmost respect.
"Lady Mito was a great figure who followed the First Hokage in establishing Konoha. Therefore, in mourning of her passing, the village will hold a funeral ceremony tomorrow, and all Ninja Academy students are required to attend dressed in funeral attire."
Moto Kouda spoke with a heavy tone. As someone knowledgeable, he was well-versed in the history of Konoha's founding. The First Hokage and the Second Hokage were both long gone, and now Mito, one of the last surviving figures who helped build Konoha, had also passed away.
This marked the definitive end of an entire era, which had now become part of history.
Noticing the gloomy expression on their teacher's face, many students began to feel somber as well.
"Uzumaki Mito?"
Mikoto murmured the name thoughtfully. Even as a member of the Uchiha clan, she had never heard much about the Uzumaki clan.
However, the surname "Uzumaki" sparked some suspicions in her mind. This Lady Mito shared the same surname as Kushina. There must be some kind of relationship between them.
She had never imagined that Kushina could come from such an important background.
Then she observed Minato's expression; the latter showed no sign of surprise, as if he already knew everything beforehand.
Perhaps his fainting yesterday had something to do with this?
Mikoto couldn't ask further. Perhaps Aniki Fugaku would know more about Lady Mito — after all, he was the son of the Uchiha clan head.
The lessons continued as usual...
The next day.
Whoosh!
A figure dashed swiftly through Konoha. To ordinary eyes, it was impossible to detect its movement; people could only vaguely see a streak of light, often mistaking it for a mere illusion upon waking up in the morning.
Minato chose a path through Konoha's twisting and narrow alleys.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He created several Shadow Clones and scattered them in different locations, actively hindering his movements.
No one understands you better than yourself, so the attacks launched by Minato's clones were even more devious than those of Master Jiraiya back then.
As Minato dodged an attack from a Shadow Clone by flashing to another street, the ground beneath his feet suddenly underwent a drastic change.
The ground instantly turned into a muddy swamp, spreading rapidly toward him. When he tried to retreat along the same path, he found that his escape route had also become the same viscous mire.
Seeing what was happening, Minato leapt up on the spot, his eyes calm and unshaken.
At the same time, a long-absent familiar voice rang in his ears.
"My dear apprentice, it's been a long time."
...
...(To be continued.)
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